Red Lions 1 vs. Coorparoo Kings
Second Semi Final
The second Semi Final at St Lucia will see the two favourites for the flag face off in what could be a preview to Grand Final day in two weeks time. Coorparoo were able to account for last year’s premiers Caloundra by seven goals in the Qualifying Final and showed exactly why they will feature heavily in the upcoming weeks. After facing the road trip to the Panthers home ground, the Kings took a little while to get going but went into the main break with a two goal lead. In the second half Coorparoo showed their class, running effortlessly through the midfield and creating plenty of chances in the forward half. A highlight of the Kings game was their ability to provide support to the back six and limit scoring opportunities. This will need to be a feature of their game that continues to improve as they face the most attacking side in the competition this week.
The UQ Red Lions will be well rested after their week off and ready to come out firing against a Coorparoo side that has already shown its worth in this year’s finals series. UQ will look to use deadly weapons Hugh Millikan, Luke Wray and Brad Percy to create plenty of scoreboard pressure, while influential defender Brenton Crilly should continue his fine year with plenty of run off the half back line. For the Kings, ex-Morningside duo Ben Gibson and Sandy Hampson should play an important role in the result of this match, as will Co-Captain Ben Cowan who will want to put some goals on the scoreboard and influence the game in a big way. Only a month ago these two teams played out the only draw for the season. In round seven just five points separated the sides after the final siren when UQ took the win. There will be many key matchups around the ground that will determine who gets a Grand Final berth this week in a game that has all the makings of the biggest blockbuster of the season so far.
The Last Five Weeks:
Caloundra – WWDWW
Coorparoo – WWWDW
Head to Head This Year:
Round 16
12.13-85 Coorparoo Kings vs. Red Lions 1 12.13-85
Round 7
18.4-112 Red Lions 1 def. Coorparoo Kings 16.11-107
Caloundra vs. Yeronga Sth Brisbane
First Semi Final
Caloundra will have a chance to redeem themselves against Yeronga this week as they look to avoid bowing out of the finals race in straight sets. The Devils will have to travel to North Street Oval for Saturday’s match but should know that it is not the fortress it once was. Last week the Panthers were dealt a lesson in finals footy as Coorparoo put on a clinic and finished with a 44 point win. Caloundra lacked any real strike power up forward and were unable to run with Coorparoo after half time. The eight goals to three second half wrapped up what was a disappointing outing in a crucial game, with the result now being a do or die semi final against the in-form Yeronga.
Last week the Devils disposed of Alexandra Hills in emphatic fashion with the help of an incredible 21 goal second half. This was due largely to the likes of Mark Mills and Heath Hart who had four each, while Paul Gay bagged seven to make it 12 goals in two weeks. Yeronga had nine other goal kickers on the day and was well served by John Kaye in a superb best on ground effort. Skipper Alex Gregoriou was also impressive and had two goals of his own, while Brad O’Brien and Matt Lockyer continued to show their late season form to impact the game at different stages.
The two sides have shared the points so far this year, with Caloundra winning by 20 points in the last game of the regular season only three weeks ago. The inconsistent second half of the year will make it tough to predict whether Caloundra will produce what they are fully capable of or simply repeat the performance from last week. The road trip to North Street isn’t one that should be taken lightly, but Yeronga should be confident following their continued signs of improvement.
The Last 5 Weeks:
Caloundra – LWLWW
Yeronga – WLWWW
Head to Head This Year:
Round 18
12.9-81 Caloundra def. Yeronga Sth Brisbane 8.13-61
Round 9
13.14-92 Yeronga Sth Brisbane def. Caloundra 10.15-75
